Daily Inspiration

Can an Atheist Still Recover?

One long-recovering sex addict says, “As a devout atheist, I got hung up on step three. My sponsor just laughed and said to not worry about it. Then he told me to read ahead to the first portion of Step 12. So I did that: ‘Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps….’ Then my sponsor said, ‘When you get to Step 12, if you feel like you’ve still not had a spiritual awakening, then we can talk more about your atheism.’” As it turns out, the addict never needed to have that conversation. Did he find religion? No. Did he develop an understanding of God that matches any of the popular views? Not really. Did he learn to stop worrying about himself all the time and to start caring about others? Absolutely. That was his spiritual awakening, and today it is the gift of recovery for which he is most grateful.

Just for Today: Think about the fact that “spirituality” and “religion” are not necessarily the same thing.